Fragile Days
by AnnaAza
Summary: "All we have is each other." After the battle with Azula, how did our Prince and Waterbender spend what could have been their last days on earth? DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

**FRAGILE DAYS**

Zuko's weight was heavy as he slightly leaned on her, but Katara didn't care. She kept a firm hand on his back to feel warm flesh through the red fabric of his Fire Nation thin silks. His breathing was a bit labored, which worried her. His heart seemed to skip like a rabaroo being chased, then stop in a horrifying second. A heartbeat arose, then another, then another, so she let out the breath encased in her body and mind, but waited to hold it once again.

He was still staring at his insane sister, now quietly mumbling to herself with occasional bursts of flame and temper, looking as if he had fallen in battle and had just discovered that he was bleeding. The comparison immediately made her check his upper body, the pale, taunt skin bearing a reddish-pink, star-shaped scar. No blood, she assured herself, but drew more water from the underground reservoirs and placed her water-gloved hand on the wound.

"Lie down over there, please, Zuko." she implored once she felt the wound.

"No, we must—" Zuko paused and a tiny flinch flickered for a quick second before he straightened up. "We must take care of her, first."

Katara's breath seemed thin to her now. "Do you mean...?"

Zuko jolted, and she gasped, fearing that he may fall or clutch at his wound, but his face was locked on Azula in a somewhat regretful, horrified way

"No." he answered. "No, not that. I mean, we must figure out what to do with her while we wait for news. She could break the chains, though melting them will burn her hands, but she's not in her right mind now, so—" Zuko looked around. "We dismissed the sages, right?"

"Yes." she replied, her hand still on his wound, the water glowing faintly. "But Zuko, I think they may be around. Where would they go? They must have stuck around to see who won the Agni Kai. La, they were going to crown Azula; shouldn't they have...?"

"I do not know." Zuko suddenly stiffened. "Katara, ready your water. I hear footsteps, and they might come for us."

Katara looked at the Prince, almost fatally wounded, breathing heavily, form slumped slightly, breath against her cheek.

"What about you?" Katara asked worriedly. "You are in no condition—"

"If you can fight and defeat them with my meager help, do so, by all means. But if it is beyond both you and me, flee and try to find the rest of the group. Leave me, and I will provide a distraction."

"I will not abandon people who need me, and you need me!" Katara fiercely snapped. "I will not run and leave you here! You almost died once, and I'm not letting you risk dying a second time when I'm perfectly capable of helping you!"

Zuko sighed in her ear. "Have you forgotten that I risked my life to defend you? I will not leave you behind either."

Katara let the words sink in her small form, the words that passed between them now settling in her breast. They were both silent enough to hear shuffling, careful footsteps among the rubble rocks.

"So we will fight and fall together," she murmured softly in conviction. "Since neither you or I will leave each other's side?"

Zuko's face was unreadable for a few heartbeats. He spoke to her without looking at her face: "If it is to be, then it will be so."

Red appeared in her vision, and Katara let water cover her fingers and form into sharp needles of ice at her fingertips, the way Hama had shown her to do. It was the Fire Sages.

"Honored Elders of Agni," Zuko spoke as if he were dressed in flowing gold and red robes with a crown on his head and in a council room full of witnesses. "You have seen that I have emerged victorious from this Agni Kai. I am, as far as we all know, am the Fire Lord."

The head sage glanced at Azula, snarling at the new intruders like a caged beast. "You have not killed her, nor scarred her, as it is traditional in an Agni Kai."

"I will not kill her unless she breaks free and threatens the safety of my friend and myself." Katara raised her chin in anger when the Head Sage replied, "If you do not want her to escape, you can burn her legs. Your victory cannot be certain without making a mark."

"I have fought Admiral Zhao, now deceased, in an Agni Kai and have showed him mercy. I will bestow the same honor to my sister."

"Then you have not won, unless she has surrendered?" It was clear the Sage knew that Azula had not, for Azula was thrashing angrily and cursing her brother to hell, to release her and let her tear him and Water Tribe wench apart.

"I will spare my sister," Zuko repeated, his eyebrow arcing sharply downwards.

"You have no claim to do so, banished Prince. You have no right to claim the title of Lord, unless both Phoenix King Ozai and Princess Azula die or are unfit."

"You would crown a cruel tyrant or a mentally unstable princess?" Katara spoke up chillingly. "Z—Prince Zuko is fit to rule, more than any of them. He is honorable. He will not hurt the ones who are already down. If he kills or harms Princess Azula, wouldn't that be a blight on his honor? She clearly cannot defend herself well and can be killed easily. Look at her! She is not your rational and powerful Fire Princess! She cannot—"

"Then it seems," another sage intoned. "That we are at an impasse."

Katara paused. Zuko gritted his teeth and thoughtfully spoke, "What if we make a deal?"

"A deal?"

"Yes. If Ozai is defeated, then Azula will be carted off to mental asylum, and I will claim to rule as Fire Lord. If not..." Zuko seemed to know the risk of this bargain, for he paused as the sages' eyebrows raised or their heads began to lift as if about to nod. "...then you may free Azula and claim her as Fire Lord."

"What are you doing?" Katara whispered for the second time that day. Zuko did not answer her.

"Very well." the Head Sage agreed when he and the other sages turned to hold a short council. "But you must swear by your deal, otherwise it is useless and a lie."

Zuko inhaled sharply. "You must swear first. All of you."

"No. You made the pledge. You must swear first, or we will not uphold it either way."

Zuko set his jaw.

"Zuko, what is so important about this swear?" Katara whispered to him.

"It's an honor debt, if you will. I cannot turn away from it, and if I do, it is punishable by death. And I cannot, if I wanted to. I will not lose my honor to break a promise; I never have." He cursed quietly. "Damn them. It seems to be the only way."

Zuko slowly, but steadily inclined his head and raised his right hand before Katara could reply. "I, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Ursa, brother of Princess Azula, swear to the almighty and infallible Agni, the Lord of the Sky and Flame, that I will uphold my word in this regard. If the Fire Lord Ozai is defeated by the Avatar and his friends, then I shall become the Fire Lord with the banishment stripped. If the Fire Lord Ozai amerges victorious, then I shall step down, and Princess Azula will become Fire Lord..."

"You must offer a trade, along with your life, if you wish to complete it." the Head Sage remarked. "Have you forgotten your lessons?"

Zuko glared at him. "I know the rules, Sage. I am thinking of one to—"

"Her."

Katara startled when he pointed directly at her. "Me?"

Zuko was adamant. "No."

"What else do you have to bargain with?" the Sage sneered. "You have no honor, no title, no lands, no estate, nothing that would matter of import. The girl seems like a fair trade. She helped you restrain Azula, did she not, Zuko?"

"No." Zuko glowered at the Sage. "I will not use her as a bargaining tool."

"Then the deal is null and void." Arrogance coated his voice with smugness that made the pair stiffen.

"Is it the only trade-off?" Katara dared to ask. She refused to blink as the Sage's eyes roamed over her: her determined face, her erect body, her hand on Zuko's back, the ice dripping from her fingers.

"Yes."

"All right." Katara raised her right hand as she saw Zuko do. "I, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of Chief Hakoda and Chieftess Kya, now deceased, will hereby say as you and the Moon and Ocean Sprits as witness, swear to thee that I will be the—"

"No!" Zuko convulsed briefly and coughed violently at his outburst. "No! Stop!" A warm hand squeezed hers firmly.

"It is only way. Please, Zuko, finish the pledge."

His golden gaze made a few of the sages step back. "I will not sacrifice you to them."

"Zuko, please." she drew him briefly aside. "You know this is the only to be certain. We cannot guard Azula and take care of ourselves, most of all, you, at the same time. If this pledge is as binding as you say, then the sages will be stuck in the deal, too."

He glanced briefly at his wound and looked at her. He closed his eyes. "Katara, you do realize that you will be killed or given to my father if we lose, right?"

"I know." Katara placed a gentle hand on his chest. "That's why I swore. I know we will win, Zuko. If this is the way for you to gave Azula taken care of and to be the Fire Lord, then do this. I will comply."

He breathed out harshly, taking her by the forearms. "Alright. I will swear if you promise to run if Ozai wins. You can escape, and Agni will not punish you; you will not swear, and you are not of the Fire Nation. Don't drag me along with you. Promise me."

"Yes, I do, I promise." Katara nodded, hoping her eyes did not betray her.

Zuko placed a hand on her arm, covering a faint scar from long ago. "Good. Now let's do this."

They returned, and Zuko continued, "And if I fail to comply with these terms, may Katara, daughter of the Water Tribe, be offered to you..." He took a shallow breath, fisted a hand at her back. "as a sacrifice. May my own Inner Flame turn against me if I break this pledge. In the name of Agni, it is done."

The Head Sage's face turned unpleasantly as if he had eaten a sour plum, but he followed after Zuko, along with the other Sages. Zuko listened carefully and barked out the words if one of the sages "forgot" them. He nodded, and they all bowed to another with the flame sign of their hands. Zuko hid his grimace as he bent at he waist, but Katara drew him closer to him when he rose.

"Who will watch Azula?" Zuko asked them. "You will all, but one most watch her the most."

"I will." Katara glanced at the one who spoke and turned to Zuko. "Zuko, he can be trusted. I know him."

"As do I, Lady Katara." Fire Sage Shyu bowed to her.

"Shyu!" the Head Sage practically snarled. "If you do this, Ozai will smite you!"

"I am willing to die for the Avatar's cause. As I have said before, the sage's duty was to be loyal to the Avatar, and it is still our holy duty."

"Our duty is to serve our Lord!"

"My only Lord to serve is Agni, and perhaps this young prince!" Shyu passionately declared.

"Very well." Zuko interrupted before the Head Sage made a move to attack him. "Fire Sage Shyu will watch the princess and the sages, too. I will be going into the Palace to restock our supplies and replenish ourselves."

* * *

><p><em>Notes:<em>

_Fire Sages: All right, they're in Azula's coronation. Maybe Azula let them out to be crowned, or when Zhao died, they had no witnesses and such to support that the Sages betrayed the Fire nation. They wouldn't ask the Avatar, would they? Shyu is here for the purpose of a safety net for Zuko and Katara. I don't trust the Sages unless Shyu watches them. _

_Zuko's vow: This is like an Unbreakable Vow in _Harry Potter 6_. This is bound by Agni and honor, and it is not recommended unless you are desperate._

_Tone: What did Katara and Zuko do? Zuko was injured. And I assume that Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang probably didn't immediately zip over to the Fire Palace. They had Ozai (dangerous, even though he's Energybended) and Sokka's broken leg and a bunch of destroyed forest and airships. I think they would have been delayed. If I were them, I would have wanted to stop by a few villages and yell, "THE WAR IS OVER!" It's called "Fragile Days" because Zuko and Katara are still not sure that Aaang won and that the airships are down, even if they took down Azula. They have only each other to support and trust. _

_Length: This will be perhaps a three-shot. _


	2. Chapter 2

_ON **JULY 15TH** __starts **ZUTARA WEEK 2012!** Let's hope a lot of people participate this year (I certainly am!)! The prompts are not as easy as last year, but here they are:_

_1. Serendipity_

_2. Momentous_

_3. Transcend_

_4. Whimsical_

_5. Heartstrings_

_6. Faded_

_7. Seasons_

_Have fun!_

**FRAGILE DAYS**

"Be careful of the pack." Zuko cautioned her. He was lying on a big, soft bed with covers pulled over him. The room was fortunate enough to have a washroom with plumbing and a view near the plaza to keep an eye on Azula and the sages. Katara was standing, dropping the healing water back into the bowl.

"It is safe, Zuko." Katara held it up for him to see. It was stocked with non-perishable food, on Zuko's insistence in case Katara had to flee. She had also brought in plenty of food near the kitchens, such as bread, stew, cheese, rice, fruit, a small cake, and others, which had been their small feast. Zuko had refused the wine, saying that he needed his wits, but Katara kept it, knowing that it could be used for healing or a flammable substance in case things took a turn for the worst. The kitchen was not far, and she could quickly heat up a choice of a massive storage of food and rush back to Zuko. They could relive themselves in the bathroom and pump their own water to drink, too.

"Zuko, I think...did the lightning have an exit route?"

He tried to sit up, but failed. "I redirected some of it."

"But when it entered your stomach, did it exit?"

"Hm..." Zuko peeled off the blankets, quietly checking his body. "No, I don't think so. Aang had a small wound at the bottom of his foot, right? From Azula?"

"Yes. That's why I'm worried. I felt your wound; I stopped the bleeding, but there's no way for the lightning to exit. Trouble is, I had to close the wound, or you would have bled to death. It's stuck, and it's making your heart rate speed up considerably. Does your chest hurt?"

"It feels like my Inner Flame is slowly burning inside my chest. I thought it was because of the wound. Why not make a small incision somewhere and extract it?"

"I don't know, you've lost quite a bit. I was thinking to feed you some meat and protein to restore some, but it must come out...it's dangerously fast, your heart."

Zuko thought for minute. "Why don't you slice the side of my shoulder? I'm not moving it, and it'll bleed slower."

Katara nodded slowly. "Yes, I...alright." She bent a small icicle knife out of what was left of her clean water, rolling up his left sleeve. He watched her as she hesitated before bringing the knife to his flesh. It felt cold.

Katara thought it was ironic. When he first joined, she could easily imagine slicing the Prince's throat as he slept. She herself had injured quite a few Fire Nation soldiers with her ice daggers. Now she found that she couldn't hurt Zuko.

Zuko seemed to realize what she was thinking. "I will do it, if you want."

"No, I have to." She positioned it and tried not to close her eyes. Katara swiftly sliced the slightly tough skin and watched as the blood slowly bubbled to the surface. She formed the ice into a water glove and placed it on the wound as the lightning came closer to the way of exiting.

The lightning stung, and she moved her hands away from the water, letting the lone orb of water leach out some of the lightning. She heard a faint crackling sound like Sokka opening a paper bag of fire crisps as this happened. The lightning tore at the water, and it struck at her fingers that played too close to the water. She closed her eyes as Zuko carefully stayed still on the bed, willing herself not to cry out from the shocks.

Zuko sighed, once, heavily, then fell silent as she slowly took the slightly pulsing water.

"You should sleep." Katara coaxed. "I will stand watch."

"I will watch."

"Zuko, sleep is one of the best medicines. You have been severely wounded, and you need rest. I will wake you if something happens; does that make you feel better?"

He frowned, but closed his eyes. Katara found that she preferred him when he was awake. She gently placed her hand against his chest to feel a heartbeat thudding a bit more normally.

Now that Zuko was indeed asleep, she did not know what to do with herself, except to sit beside him and run her fingers through his hair. A motherly instinct came over her as she felt multiple split ends and that his bangs fell over his eyes, and she sighed softly, leaning against him awkwardly on the bed.

* * *

><p>The red sky faded as the comet passed. The Sages looked up as the sky slowly faded into light orange as dawn broke, the slight sunlight that could only be felt by a Firebender shining over their faces. The Head Sage glanced in disdain at the sluggishly-thrasing princess, then at the looming palace. Another Sage was coming back with a meal for all of the five, the utensils and bowls rattling as he unsteadily made his way to the four.<p>

"How is the young lord and lady?" Shyu asked politely, taking a bowl of rice from the tray and raising the gold-inlaid chopsticks to his lips.

The sage sniffed. "The so-called next heir to the throne is resting peacefully in bed with the Water Tribe girl at his side. They picked the room that is nearest towards here." He sipped at his tea with his thin slivers that were called "lips" pursed tightly.

"They're watching us." Another sage grumbled through his bushy, white beard.

"They have every right to." Shyu defensively answered back. The Head Sage grunted and continued to look at the room that housed the injured Fire Prince and the lone Waterbender.

* * *

><p>Zuko remembered the days of when he lived in the palace, both when he was a boy and a returned, older one, but same, naive prince. The palace had moved seamlessly like a perfectly-wound clock—the servants popped in just as he woke up to offer him to help him dress and bathe, get him from cold fruits to hot towels, and straighten his crown. The meals were whisked away as soon as one finished eating and liquids were poured in as soon as glasses and goblets were drained. Guards were simply everywhere, and his mother had to command them several times to stand away during her private relaxation sessions in the turtleduck pavilion. He never remembered having to walk anywhere outside the palace as a child—palanquins were always there in silken draperies and soft perfume. His Firebending and weapons and hand-to-hand instructors drilled him for hours in the courtyard and private gym. Azula had enjoyed the Royal Spa from a full-day treatment to something as trivial as a Royal Haircombing. All of his days were busy, and the whole palace never stopped moving.<p>

It was not the same.

It was as if a plague had struck the palace and left a ghost one behind. The people they could find that had belonged to the palace was a timid, little servant girl who had hidden from Azula and a quiet guard whom Zuko somehow didn't like. Katara trusted him, but Zuko remembered him as one who was prone to bring best friends with an infamous sellsword, and he told Katara to be careful.

The girl, whose name was Rin, hid shyly from him, but she helped Katara cook and watched with an open mouth as Katara performed her healing sessions. Her black hair hung over her brown eyes and covered her small nose, but Katara thought she had a sweet face and kindly and bossily kept brushing her hair back. She slept on a pallet near the fireplace and shared meals with them, albeit hanging aside like a little shadow.

The guard, Yan, just stands outside. Katara and he occasionally converse on mundane topics, but that's all.

Zuko feels weaker and more worried. Did Aang come back and win? Did Sokka, Suki, and Toph stop the airships? How will they know if they won? He has to struggle to get out of bed to use the chamber pot and can only sit up with aid from Katara and pillows. His hair is starting to smell and the cleanest part of his body is the one that Katara is constantly washing with water: his lightning scar. This is the worst off he's been, second to when his face was burned.

Katara eventually tells him that he must bathe, and she has to help him. He protests his modesty, her modesty, his trembling legs, and aching stomach, but she ignores him as she draws water into the majestic bath and tells him to heat it a little.

"I'm a healer." she says firmly as she drags him out of bed. Rin is averting her eyes as the door to the washroom shuts behind them. "I've seen the male anatomy before." Katara has to help him undress since he cannot stand for ten seconds without collapsing. The robe comes off fine and without a struggle of a tightly tied knot, sliding off with a thump of silk. He has to sit while the intricately-wrapped, white bandages are unraveled, wrinkling his nose at the smell and goo. Last were his pants, which Katara modestly and slightly turned her head as he braced his hands on her shoulders, and she tugged them down.

Zuko felt completely exposed and embarrassed as he stepped over the rim into the warm bath, slipping in with a splash. Katara was behind him, so he couldn't see her reaction, but he feels as if a huge barrier just went up in the small bathroom. He can't bend over without hissing in pain, so he grabs the soap and begins to wash his arms. His back suddenly jolts when small, sudsy hands begin to rub his wet back.

There's silence and an occasional slosh of water when Zuko shifts. finally Katara speaks. "Your muscles are so tense, here." She begins to massage his shoulders, and Zuko nearly throws back his head and moans.

"Tell me, why are you so tense?" she murmured as she rinsed off the soap with Waterbending and began to wash his lengthening hair. He closed his eyes and leaned back as his fingers rotated circles at the sides of his head. The warm water and her firm fingers made him hum a bit almost sleepily.

"Why do you think?" he shot back.

He felt soap skim the tops of his eyelids and pulled back before it reached his eyes. "Your servants didn't bathe you?"

"No," he answered lazily as she continued her massage. "I bathed myself." Water poured down his head like spring rain, rinsing off the scent of sandalwood, interrupting his scrub of his chest and stomach. She walked around so she could wash his wound and kept her eyes on his face until she looked at his stomach. The water was the color of army porridge, but her cheeks bloomed as red as fire lilies.

"Thought you said you've seen the male anatomy." he teased, and this earns him a sharp jab on his shoulder. She is sitting on the little ledge where one would have a "hip bath," so he's crammed a bit like canned sardine-chovies with her. She's taken off her shoes and rolled up her pants, but the bottom of her skirt is soaked. Her hands are now washing his wound in slow, careful strokes.

"I have." she snaps to continue their conversation, the apples in her cheeks still not fading. "When you live with the same group of people for a while, you can't help seeing them naked at times when you shouldn't."

He smirks at her, amused as a memory of the Western Air Temple's fountain forms in his head. "You practiced Waterbending in your underwear."

Her cheeks flame even more, if Zuko could believe it. "Sh-shut up!" she stammers angrily and nearly scratched him while curling her fists while her palms are placed on his wound.

He smiles at her and laughs at the familiarity of her fierce snarl and fiery cheeks, feeling safe for the first time in awhile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Fragile Days**

Katara smoothed his hair away from his forehead and pressed her water-wreathed hands again on his wound. "I told you to not strain yourself."

Zuko sighed and flopped his head dramatically back on the fluffed pillows. "I survived my first Agni Kai, beat Zhao twice, escaped from a heavily-armed fortress, got blown off my ship, swam through the frigid Nothern sea, beaten by the Avatar and you and Sokka, somehow live through that damned lightning bolt, and now I'm mortally ill because I overtaxed myself."

"Exactly," Katara started to say, but started for moment as she mused over his list of injuries. "Blown off your ship?"

"Pirates. Hired by Zhao. Created a fire shield at the last minute and crashed through the window." Zuko closed his eyes, either reliving it in his mind or giving into his exhaustion. Katara shook her head, ignoring the weary, dry strands that flopped in her face as she checked the hole again. It was almost the same, to her dismay.

Aang's wound had been terrible. He had been shot in the back, and the lightning had exited through his foot. But the difference between his and Zuko's was that, as she and Zuko figured out, Zuko had no exit wound. That, and this was Sozin's Comet lightning—a hundred times more powerful, right in a fatal area. The exit wound and the healing sessions she'd given Zuko had improved his breathing, but there was still something wrong.

Katara, not for the first time, wished she had spent more time in the healing huts. Sure, Yugoda might not have specifically addressed lightning wounds, but Katara could have deducted something if she'd stayed longer, she was sure. She could only guess, she sighed as she stroked Zuko's hair in thought. Was it infection? Was it because the lightning was in a different place? Was it because of the power? Did something go wrong in the first healing process? Did she not get to him in time?

"Zuko?" she asked him. "What do you know—" She stopped, once she saw that Zuko had fallen asleep. All she could do is smooth his hair again and find an excuse to leave his side.

* * *

><p>Zuko did not open his eyes for three days.<p>

Katara's worry increased day by day, then hour by hour. She forced water and broth down his throat with Waterbending, as she did with Aang when she was out, but he gave no sign of waking. Healing water seemed to do no good. She tried the same process with boiled water, warm water, cold water, soapy water in different degrees, but to no avail.

The girl found herself crying over him, kneeling by Zuko's bedside, murmuring childhood prayers to Tui and La and Yue. Rin, the little girl, watched her and offered prayers too in, she guessed, the traditional Fire Nation way, kneeling with cupped hands. She tried to remember if she ever saw Zuko praying, but she couldn't ever recall. She'd heard Zuko drop "Dear Agni," "May Agni bless them," "Agni curse them," or simply swear the god's name in a hiss if something minor happened, like a sineged hand or a stubbed toe, but unlike Aang or Suki or sometimes even Toph, she'd never seen him bow his head or place his heads together or close his eyes in thought.

Katara wondered in a moment of paranoia: _What if Water Tribe blessings didn't work? Would Zuko wake if his god...Agni...was prayed to?_

"Rin?"

The girl jumped. Katara wondered what happened to the girl that made her so skittish, if Azula was as cruel a mistress as she was an opponent.

"Can you help me with something?" she pressed on, making her tone as soft as possible. Rin nodded mutely, sitting on her heels, eyes wide and alert.

"What are Fire Nation prayers...for healing?"

* * *

><p>The kitchen was as empty as usual, and Katara hastily heated up the broth she'd made yesterday and grabbed some rice and bread for herself and Rin (the silent guard fed himself). She carefully carried the pot, the two bowls, and the loaf over to his room successfully. Already waiting there were dishes—noodles with curry, fried rice, steamed dumplings, and a fruit bowl. Rin was already gathering some dumplings—they smelled of chicken-pig—to eat when Katara stared, arms holding a pot of fresh broth for Zuko.<p>

"Sir Yan, he did this." Rin says with a happy grin that showed a missing tooth in the back. Katara can't blame her. She'd been bringing back nothing but rice, vegetables, and bread for her and the girl since Zuko fell into his...sleep. Snatching her hand to take a piece of mango, she headed over to find Yan and thank him.

"No problem."

"It must have taken you—"

"Hush, now." Before Katara could look offended (she hates being told to be quiet), he smiles gently at her. "You've been so worried about the prince that you're not eating well. Like the little girl. You two need proper food."

Katara bows, Fire Nation-style at him, and checks on Zuko again.

* * *

><p>Katara is bathing in the lovely warm water the Fire Palace offers in the gorgeously elaborate bathtub, allowing herself to relax. She loosely trails some water from the bath and lazily bends it around to forcibly calm herself down, sort of like nervous pacing for others. The lather on her head and shoulders smells of jasmine and something else, and it's extremely soothing, despite the loud shades of red and gold in the washroom. There are no windows, and the door is shut, so the air is pleasantly warm and soporific. The water underneath the bubbles is gray.<p>

She is rinsing the suds out of her hair when she hears Rin give out a little scream, and Katara quickly Waterbends herself dry and throws on her robe and rushes out, the door banging behind her.

Inside the room is the Head Sage looming over Zuko, extending his hand, while Rin is sprawled out to the side, presumably shoved. Katara thinks fast, and the bathwater smacks the Sage full in the face and freezes him to the wall.

The Sage, of course (Katara remembers), is a Firebender. He can bend himself out, and he does, and Katara gathers the steam out of the air, collecting the water around herself and letting it swirl around her as a shield. She still feels a bit tired from the days tending to Zuko and slightly hazy from the warm bath, but she still glares, chin up, ready to strike if needed. Remembering from her spars with Zuko, she allows for the Sage to make the first move. _Firebenders cannot stand waiting. _

He shoots out a blaze of flames, almost too big and too hot for the confined space, and Katara quickly realizes her problem as she douses it with her bending water. She cannot simply dodge, for the room will catch on fire, and everyone could inhale too much smoke. Her water supply is not on equal footing with the Sage's fire; she could keep collecting vapor from the air, but it would run out quickly, and she doubted he would let her run to the washroom to run more water.

Katara water-whips him across the head, puts out another huge _whoosh _of fire, and knocks him into a table. The silver trays scatter and crash. Rin shakes against the floor at the sound. Katara immediately hammers him with a small wave, shoving his chest with a bit of ice at the end, winding him. She manages to get him closer to the doorway, where Yan is arriving with a tray of of roasted picken and hot soup, in which the guard takes all of this in, sets the tray calmly and carefully against the wall, and tackles the Sage, pinning his arms behind his back.

The Waterbender nods to Yan and turns her steely gaze towards the old Firebender. "You were here for Zuko."

"I did come here to end him. He is not the true-" Katara slapped him, hard, across the face. In a swooping, terrible feeling that clenched her stomach with the sickening smack, she tried not to flinch as the sound echoed.

The Sage met her eyes again, his voice fierce and cold. "The whelp will not live. I have warned you."

* * *

><p><em>Notes:<em>

_Okay, so decided this will be in...five parts! (Yeah, not ground-breaking news, but I'll try to have the next chapter up soon!)_


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